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Petersburg Fire Department Has Equipment Repossessed

August 20, 2016 11:13 AM

(Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)

PETERSBURG, Va. — As the city of Petersburg continues to grapple with financial difficulties, the company that supplied the city’s fire department with new breathing equipment has repossessed the equipment.

Deputy Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant tells local media that Fire Protection Equipment Co. repossessed the equipment Wednesday because “the invoices had yet to be reconciled.” He says the $400,000 contract with the company was to have been paid for through a federal grant.

Sturdivant says the department hadn’t yet used the apparatuses, which help firefighters “to navigate through smoky environments.”

The repossession followed news that the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority is threatening to suspend trash and recycling collections in Petersburg over owed money.

The City Council is scheduled to receive detailed recommendations from the state for how to remedy the city’s cash flow problems at a special meeting on Aug. 23.